1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flying magnetic head for use in magnetic disk drives, etc, and more particularly to a flying magnetic head that flies over a magnetic recording medium because of an air flow due to a relative movement of the magnetic head and the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic recording systems utilizing magnetic heads that fly on an air film over a magnetic recording disk surface are well known in the art. Decreasing the space between a magnetic head gap and the magnetic recording medium leads to enhancing system performance. At the same time, the closer a magnetic head is to a magnetic recording medium, the more chances there are for the magnetic head to come into contact with the magnetic recording medium.
Typically, a magnetic head is in contact with a magnetic disk while the latter is not rotating, and as the disk starts rotating, the magnetic head begins to fly by an air flow therebetween. The magnetic head is flying over the magnetic disk by a certain distance while the disk is rotating, but the head is again brought into contact with the magnetic disk when the disk comes to stop. This process is called a contact-start-stop (CSS) cycle. To withstand the impact caused by contact with the magnetic disk during the CSS cycles, the magnetic head is required to have high resistance to such the impact. Such characteristics of the magnetic head may be called CSS characteristics.
Attempts have been made to provide magnetic heads which can fly above a magnetic disk as close as possible and at the same time has good CSS characteristics.
A typical, conventional flying magnetic head is a Winchester-type magnetic head as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,416, which is shown in FIG. 5. The Winchester-type magnetic head comprises a magnetic slider body 51 and a magnetic core 52, the slider body 51 having a pair of longitudinal side rails 53, 54 and a central rail 55. Each rail has a taper-flat profile with the respective flat portions 56, 57 and 58. The three rails are separated by bleed slots 59, 60 which provide paths for undesired air to bleed off from the air bearing outside rail surfaces during flying operations without contributing to the effective air bearing surface of the slider or changing the flying height. The magnetic core 52 is bonded to the trailing face of the slider body 51 with glass 61, and a wire is wound therearound (not shown in FIG. 5). A magnetic gap 62 is defined by the central rail 55 and the magnetic core 52.
However, since the magnetic gap 62 is provided between the thin, central rail 55 and the magnetic core 52, this Winchester-type magnetic head does not have good CSS characteristics.
A composite-type magnetic head as shown in FIG. 6 is disclosed, for instance, by Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-189173. This magnetic head comprises a slider body 61 having a pair of longitudinal side rails 62, 63 having upwardly inclined end portions 64, 65. Embedded in one of the side rails is a magnetic core 66 consisting of two core pieces with a magnetic gap 67. The magnetic core 66 is fixed by glass 68 in a slot 69 of the side rail 62.
Because the magnetic gap 67 is in coplanar relationship with the surface of the side rail 62, the composite-type magnetic head has relatively improved CSS characteristics. This magnetic head, however, is not easy to manufacture, requiring many complicated steps with high precision. The reason therefor is primarily that the bonded magnetic core 66 must be inserted and fixed in the slot 69 of the side rail 62 for each head. The fact that the magnetic core 66 is very small requires that assembling operation be carried out under a microscope by hand.